


Zim Survives Spring Break

by dibvoid (mxrbidly)



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Dib Got Turned Into A Mothman And Now He Acts Like a Moth and an Owl, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mothman!Dib, Pheromones, Pining, Pining Zim, Zim-centric (Invader Zim), mothman au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:22:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21578269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mxrbidly/pseuds/dibvoid
Summary: Zim stood in cautious silence. He frowned down at the sleeping form on the couch below him, unsure whether he should bother to try waking it. It might attack if it was in a bad mood. Zim narrowed his eyes. Or it might capture him with its long arms and — Zim shuddered. Unspeakable. If he were lucky it wouldn’t put up a fight at all. Zim wasn’t normally lucky, but the mighty invader doesn’t need such nonsense to be victorious!The irken took a deep breath, and placed a hand on Dib Membrane’s shoulder.
Relationships: Dib/Zim (Invader Zim)
Comments: 52
Kudos: 346





	Zim Survives Spring Break

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my beta, Trash_For_Ships!

Zim stood in cautious silence. He frowned down at the sleeping form on the couch below him, unsure whether he should bother to try waking it. It might attack if it was in a bad mood. Zim narrowed his eyes. Or it might capture him with its long arms and — Zim shuddered. Unspeakable. If he were lucky it wouldn’t put up a fight at all. Zim wasn’t normally lucky, but the mighty invader doesn’t need such nonsense to be victorious!

The irken took a deep breath, and placed a hand on Dib Membrane’s shoulder.

“Dib- _friend,_ ” Zim stressed the suffix almost sweetly, although it was obviously very forced. “It is time to wake up. We must attend school.” His antennae were pressed firmly against his skull, body tense and ready to either fight or flee if he needed to. Dib groaned and rolled over to face the alien, double “hair” spikes springing into view. Zim started to remove his hand, but to his horror the man reached out and grabbed his arm, tugging him forward.

Oh no, Zim was _not_ going to allow this to happen! The invader dug his heels into the floor, pulling back with a hiss.

“Release Zim _now_!” The alien snapped. But Dib only put his other hand to use by grabbing Zim around the waist and tugging him against him. He wrapped his arms around the irken and squished him against his fluffy chest, pulling the blanket back over them both. “ _Dib!”_

“Mmrph.” Dib chittered into his pillow, muffled and sleepy. Zim struggled in his tight hold, unable to open up his PAK and use his metal appendages because it was pressed against the Dib’s chest. He only stopped his attempt to escape once his capturer began to breathe against the base of his left antenna. Zim startled, a lilac blush spreading across his cheeks. He allowed it for all of three seconds, eyes squeezed tightly shut, teeth biting into his bottom lip. Then he screamed and started thrashing with all his might.

Dib shot up with a confused chirp, arms releasing the pissed irken into his lap. Zim jumped off the couch quickly and backed into a corner, pointing a shaking finger in his direction.

“You dare try to CUDDLE an irken invader?!” Zim cried, wrapping his arms around himself with a shiver. He twitched his left antennae. It was almost as if he could still still feel Dib’s hot breath on it. He gulped. “You _dare?!_ ” Dib rubbed his tired eyes and yawned.

“What time is it…?” He asked, looking around blearily. He picked up his round glasses from the nightstand and put them on, blinking the sleep out of his eyes and taking in his surroundings. Zim’s eye twitched in irritation. “Huh…” Dib’s hair spikes perked up atop his head, and he turned to face the alien with a puzzled expression. “That’s weird.” He muttered, probably to himself if Zim were to guess by his tone and volume. The Dib had a habit of speaking his thoughts out loud, which Zim found strangely endearing — not that he’d ever admit it. Zim crossed his arms gave the boy a pointed look.

“It is 7:04 in the morning! Time to get ready for school!” He snipped impatiently. “Zim will not get in trouble for being late the day before the break of spring!”

“Spring break, Zim. You know it’s called spring break.” Dib stood up from the couch and stretched, shimmery black wings unfolding and catching the light that shone through Zim’s windows. The irken felt his spooch flutter. What a marvelous display. His left antenna _burned,_ and he flicked it nervously. He shouldn’t be thinking like this. He waved his hand as if to brush away Dib’s words.

“Yes, yes. Now, get ready, Dib-creature!” And with that, Zim left the living room in a hurry, leaving Dib to perform his morning routine.

xxx

During Zim’s first class of the day, he could feel Dib’s eyes burning into the back of his head. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. After Dib’s _accident_ , the two of them formed a truce meant to last until they could find a way to reverse what happened. So far, no luck. Dib hadn’t stared at him this intensely since before that, back when they still considered each other enemies. The irken turned around to glare at Dib, to mouth at him to cut it out, but stopped. Dib was not looking at Zim with hate in his eyes like the alien had expected to see, but instead he had a strange sort of…glazed over look. His chin was rested in his hand, eyes droopy and shoulders relaxed. When he noticed Zim looking back at him, he sat up straighter and turned away, face flushing red. Strange. He caught Dib doing this two more times before the bell rang, but before Zim could even get up to confront him about it, he had fled the scene, disappearing into the hallway.

The invader didn’t see Dib again until it was time for lunch. He spotted him at their usual table with his sister Gaz, so he sat himself next to his truce-friend dramatically, making it clear he was not happy Dib had been avoiding him.

“Hello, Dib-sister.” The alien greeted Gaz, casting a glare at Dib, who groaned.

“What did he do this time?” Gaz asked with a bored tone, not bothering to look up from her gameslave.

“The Dib had the audacity to ignore the mighty Zim!” Zim shot daggers at the accused.

“Oh my god…” Dib thumped his head down on the table, hair spikes drooping.

“Dib, did you ignore your boyfriend?” Gaz questioned in that same, disinterested voice. Red blossomed across Dib’s cheeks, but he didn’t lift his head back up, instead choosing to groan again.

“Don’t call him that.” He mumbled, though there was less force to it than there normally was. At that, Gaz actually paused her game and lowered it, raising an eyebrow at her brother. Then she turned to Zim, pursed her lips, and gave the alien a calculating look.

“Any closer to figuring out how to fix him yet?” She asked. Zim clasped his hands together in his lap and frowned.

“No. Zim is no closer to reversing the effects than the _last_ time you asked.” Zim _was_ trying, it was just proving to be very difficult. Earth biology was weird, and although the irken had once been a scientist on Irk, he was unfamiliar with it. Dib’s DNA had been crossed with what the paranormal investigator called “mothman” DNA, which seemed to resemble moths and owls. The result left Dib with two antenna-like protrusions on his head that resembled his old scythe-shaped cowlick, red eyes, soft downy-like feathers that ran from his neck down to his ankles and infested his hair, talons at the end of his fingertips, and a pair of gorgeous feathery, scaly wings. Dib’s hair spikes could easily be passed off as a weird new haircut, his feathers could be covered with clothes, no one gave a damn about his eye color, and his nails could be filed down, but his wings were harder to hide considering how _big_ they were. Dib could fold them against his back, and even stuff them into his trenchcoat, but it wasn’t very comfortable for him, and he had to be careful not to move them or else he might be discovered.

“Well, hurry up. I’m sick of him moping all the goddamn time.” Gaz growled and turned back to her video game. “And Foodio misses him.” She added, softer. Dib looked up and gave his sister a somber look.

“I’ll come home soon.” He reassured her. “This isn’t forever.” Dib had been living with Zim for several weeks now, since it was easier for Zim to run tests that way, and because along with changes to his physical appearance, Dib had been exhibiting…unusual behavior. “I’m hungry.” Speaking of which.

“Do you want to go to the courtyard?” Zim suggested, eyeing the taller boy’s backpack. Dib nodded with a sigh and the two boys stood, exiting the cafeteria and leaving Gaz behind. They made their way to the side of the school building, where they wouldn’t be seen.

“Finally…” Dib grumbled, shrugging off his trench coat. His wings sprung free, able to do so since Dib had cut holes in his shirt. He sighed happily and gave them a few flaps. A smile threatened to tug on the alien’s lips as he watched the hybrid stretch them to their full length before letting them fall relaxedly. “That’s better.” Dib crouched down in front of his bag and pulled out a paper sack. He opened it up greedily and turned it upside down, dumping a dead mouse into his open palm. The invader grimaced, turning away just in time to avoid seeing Dib drop the corpse into his mouth by its tail, his head tipped back.

_“Eugh.”_ Zim gagged, pressing a hand to his abdomen. He only turned back around when he heard Dib zip up his backup. “Better?” He queried, scratching at his wig. Dib licked his lips and sat down against the brick wall of the building, wings spread. Zim tentatively took a seat beside him, careful not to press his back against the feathery appendage stretched behind him.

“Much.” The hybrid closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the wall. “But I feel weird.” He confessed. Zim hummed in thought.

“Is that why you were avoiding…” The invader trailed off, distracted by a strange new sensation pooling in the pit of his spooch. Under his wig, his antennae danced. Zim’s breath hitched, and his face flushed. “…me…” He finished, watching Dib peculiarly. The taller boy didn’t seem to take notice, his face still tilted up to the sky. The sun lit up his features beautifully, making Zim bite the inside of his cheek. The Dib smelled _heavenly_. He’d never smelled anything like it before, but it had his antennae pushing at the edges of his wig, itching to get out.

“I guess.” Dib replied. “I don’t really know how to explain it.” He grimaced. “I wish I was back at your base.” Zim squirmed where he sat, unsure of the strange feelings he was experiencing. He found himself leaning back against Dib’s outstretched wing, shivering at the way the feathers tickled the back of his neck. He wanted to press himself into it, curl up in it. What was this strange desire? Dib finally opened his eyes and looked at the irken. “Zim?” He asked, and Zim realized that he _was_ pressing himself into Dib’s wing, his face turned so that his cheek nuzzled up against the soft feathers. How embarrassing! But the Dib smelled so good…He didn’t want to move, even though he knew he should. The wing curled around him, but the taller boy had turned his face away, so there was no way for the alien to read him. “I feel weird.” He echoed himself, quieter this time. Even though they were technically touching, Zim was still sitting about a foot from Dib’s body, knees drawn up to his chest.

“Zim also feels strange.” He admitted, inhaling deep through his mouth. The smell was so strong he could practically taste it. Dib hadn’t always smelled this way…had he? No. If anything, the hybrid normally smelled _bad_. So why did Zim want to be wrapped up in his arms?

“Are you…purring?” Dib cocked his head, hair spikes bouncing curiously.

“Mm…” Zim closed his eyes, feeling a pleasant calm overtake him. He should stand up, leave, get away from Dib’s new intoxicating scent. But he didn’t, he couldn’t. Dib was not someone he could trust though! They were hardly friends, so Zim should definitely _not_ scoot closer to the hybrid, should _not_ butt the top of his head against his shoulder like some needy Earth feline, but he _did._

“U-uh…” Dib sputtered, body tensing against Zim’s weight. “Spaceboy?” The alien whined, a deep and unsettling frustration building up inside of him. What was this feeling? He tugged the wig off his head aggressively, and pressed the tips of his antennae under Dib’s chin.

“You _stink_.” He hissed. “You stink _good._ ” Large hands gripped the tiny irken’s shoulders, and Zim _mewled_ , because Dib was so _big_ compared to him. But then the hands pushed him away, although not letting go, and Zim opened his eyes, meeting Dib’s concerned gaze. His pupils were blown, and his cheeks were dark.

“What are you doing?” Despite appearances, Dib’s voice was stern and serious. Zim felt so warm where Dib’s hands were holding him, it was hard to focus. The alien’s antennae stretched forward, _needing_ to be closer to the other boy, _needing_ to soak up that wonderful scent. He didn’t miss how Dib’s spikes were also reaching forward, and _oh_ , he wanted to twine his stalks around them _so bad._ He whined again, trying to scoot closer despite Dib’s _big_ hands holding him back. “Whoa, _hey._ ” Dib growled lowly, threateningly, sending warmth flooding between the irken’s legs.

Wait, _NO!_

He jerked out of Dib’s grasp by skittering backwards, halfway between a panicked crawl and an awkward crab walk. He clapped his hands over his antennae with a hiss, trying to block out Dib’s smell. Zim knew what it was. He couldn’t tell earlier because he’d never encountered it before, but judging by what it did to him, the alien knew it was some type of pheromone. Irkens used to release them to attract mates pre-control brains, which explained why Zim reacted how he did. Stupid Dib!

“Stop _doing_ that!” Zim shrieked, batting the boy’s wing away when he tried to wrap it around him again. The hybrid folded it against his back, dragging the other one in as well.

“Touching you? You were all over me!” He cried indignantly, tugging his coat back on.

“No!” Zim refuted. “Wait, _yes!_ But that is not what Zim was referring to!” He shoved his wig back onto his head, hiding his antennae away. The compression of the headpiece helped to stifle the intense scent, but Zim still had to press his hands down to fully mask it. “Stop your stench this instant! Zim does not wish to breed with you, Dib-thing!” Dib gawked at the irken as if he’d grown a second head.

“ _What?!”_ He stood up quickly, the feathers under his shirt ruffling and puffing up, peaking over the collar of his turtleneck. “ _Breed?!”_ Zim scrambled to his feet with a sneer.

“Your disgusting advances won’t work on the mighty Zim!” The invader insisted, taking a couple large steps back. “I am above giving into such primal instincts!” The sound of the school bell rang across the courtyard, warning students that they only had a few minutes until their next class started.

“Zim, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Dib’s shoulders slumped, his hair spikes falling limply against his head. Zim clicked his tongue, unable to help the way his resolve threatened to break at seeing the Dib look so defeated. “You’re the one who got all touchy.”

“Because of your stink!” Zim gestured wildly.

_“What stink?!”_ Instead of giving Dib a proper answer, he screeched loudly, turned on his heel, and stomped away. “Zim!” But Zim didn’t stop. He threw open the doors to the cafeteria as though he were trying to stop a wedding and stormed inside. No _way_ was he going to explain to Dib that he could _smell_ how the hybrid desired him.

He… did desire him, right?

Zim paused in front of his locker, hands stopping mid reach for his chemistry textbook. Why was he even thinking about this? Zim and the Dib were not _mates!_ It was absolutely out of the question! The irken snatched his book and slammed the locker door shut, causing a few stray students to cast him worried looks. But if the Dib was releasing pheromones around him, that meant he wanted him, right? That was how irkens used to do it. Zim glared at the floor as he walked to class, pondering. Dib’s behavior had been altered after his accident. He only wanted to feast on rodents, for one, but he was also more reserved, quieter. He had the urge to stay up all night and sleep all day, which Zim didn’t think was different from before, but Dib had explained to him that it was less insomnia and more _instinct_ now _._ He groomed himself more often, which the alien was thankful for. He was weirdly attracted to light sources, whether it be a bright lamp, the television, or even Zim’s PAK lights. Dib also had grown…attached, in a way. To Zim. Sometimes, when the other students looked at the irken, whether it be just a passing glance, a smile, or a frown, Dib would turn hostile and glue himself to the alien’s side, glaring daggers at everyone who got too close. Sometimes, when Zim was working in his lab, Dib would sneak up silently from behind and wrap his wings around him. Sometimes, when Zim was on the couch watching tv with GIR, Dib would snuggle up to his side, pressing against him almost affectionately. Anytime Zim would call attention to behavior like that, Dib would stop immediately and sulk, or sometimes he’d pretend it didn’t happen and play dumb. All these behaviors could be attributed to his hybrid DNA, of course. A purely human Dib would never.

Zim sat down at his classroom table and buried his head in his arms. Why did that make him unhappy? Did Zim want Dib to want those things of his own accord? Did he want Dib to be gentle with him? Protective of him? _Loving_ to him? Sometimes Dib got violent towards him, often when he was tired, or hungry, or overwhelmed. He would apologize afterwards, of course, but then Zim would have to put up with Dib beating himself up about it for hours. Taking care of him was exhausting!

Zim mentally deflated. He hated this human emotion, this emotion that ate him up every time he saw the Dib struggle to put on his shirts, every time he caught Dib staring longingly at the food commercials on tv, every time he saw Dib roll his shoulders uncomfortably in class, every time he had to wake him up in the morning, knowing how tired he was, every time he found Dib somewhere in his base after not hearing a sound from him for hours, just _staring_ at some light source with wide red eyes. He hated this _feeling._

This guilt.

Because, after all, it was Zim’s fault Dib had had his accident in the first place.

He’d have to do some research when he got home, he decided. So he could figure out exactly what Dib’s pheromones meant. Clearly it came from the moth part of him, applying what limited knowledge of Earth’s creatures Zim had. From what Zim knew insects and irkens had a number of things in common, including certain breeding practices. His skin burned, and he clasped his hands over his wig, pressing down. The bell rang again, signaling the start of class, but Zim paid the teacher-drone no mind. A thought that Zim had been trying to shove down ever since he snapped to his senses in the courtyard snuck its way to the forefront of his mind.

Did Zim want to mate with the Dib?

 _Oh yes!_ The answer came quicker than the irken would have liked, and he mentally cursed himself for having such defective thoughts. He shifted around in his chair, glad no one else was sitting at his table. He knew a small part of it could probably be attributed to the time of year. Like many creatures on Earth, pre-control brain irkens were most sexually active during the spring. But really that shouldn’t have _mattered,_ because Zim was not a pre-control brain irken! He had a PAK; he should be sterile, and without a sex drive! Still, Zim could admit now that he had never been a normal irken. He was not _defective_ , of course! That was impossible, but he was certainly different from the others of his kind. Even though the alien was aware of his sexuality, and the little drives that tingled in the back of his head when the weather started to warm, Zim had never actively wanted to do anything about it. He squeezed his thighs together. It had never felt like _this_ before.

What had Dib’s stupid musk awakened in him?

“Zim?” The alien looked up to see the teacher standing in front of him. “The principal needs to see you.” The principal? But Zim hadn’t done anything this time! She pointed her thumb towards the door, where the irken noticed Dib standing, shoulders slumped and looking pretty tired.

“Is the Dib in trouble, too?” Zim questioned, standing and picking up his chemistry book.

“Don’t know. Don’t care.” The teacher replied nonchalantly, turning away and going back to the front of the class. Zim sighed and trudged over to his truce-friend, casting him a puzzled look. Once the two were out of the room and walking side-by-side down the hall, Dib threw his head back and shoved his hands under his glasses, digging his palms into his eyes. A low growl reverberated from his chest that put the tiny alien on edge.

“Why did they send you to fetch me? Could they not just call Zim down?” He asked warily.

“They didn’t send me.” Dib grunted, still with his hands over his eyes. They passed by Zim’s locker, so the alien shoved his book back inside.

“So…we are not in trouble?” The hybrid finally dropped his hands and looked at Zim. He had deep bags under his eyes, and his pupils were still dilated. Some of the feathers that were mixed in with his human hair seemed to be standing on end, making his appearance look all the more disheveled. He wasn’t releasing that intoxicating scent, but Zim was still nervous. “Then what are we doing?”

“Leaving.” Dib guided the irken towards the front of the school. Zim was worried they might be stopped by the front desk lady, but she wasn’t there, so the two of them exited the building without difficulty. Finally outside, the taller boy picked up the pace.

“W-where…?” Zim trailed after Dib with his gloved hands fisted in his uniform.

“Base.” He didn’t seem to be in a very talkative mood.

“Why?” The shorter boy risked asking, partly due to the fear starting to creep up his spine, and partly because he didn’t think Dib would _actually_ lash out at him while they were walking down a public sidewalk. Not now, anyway. Zim probably would have thought differently a few weeks ago, but then again, he probably wouldn’t be walking home from school with Dib a few weeks ago.

“Don’t know.”

“You don’t— _Dib!”_ Zim sputtered, stopping in his tracks. “You can’t just leave school! Your parental unit only agreed to let you stay with Zim if you kept going!” He reached out and grabbed a fistful of Dib’s coat, tugging him back. Despite being out in the open, the hybrid unfurled his wings, pushing the coat off in the process. He whirled around, spreading them menacingly and baring his teeth. Zim stumbled back, wanting to bring out his PAK legs but knowing better than to do so where he might be seen.

“I don’t want to be at school right now!” Dib barked. “I can’t be there right now!” Zim blinked up at him, confused. Had something happened after Zim went back to class?

“What is wrong?” He felt his spooch begin to warm again. The way the Dib stood over him — so _tall_ , with such _massive_ wings — was getting to him. He felt that guilt bite at him again. The boy was obviously distressed, but here Zim was wishing Dib would pin him to the concrete by his wrists and— He chirped loudly, antennae threatening to shove the wig off his head.

“I don’t know!” Dib looked from his left wing to his right wing with worry, and Zim assumed he probably hadn’t meant to expose them. The alien adjusted to sit on his knees and picked the other’s coat off the ground, holding it out to him. “I’m sorry.” Dib said, and took it. He tucked his wings back in and covered them with the article of clothing. “I just know I need to be back at your base.” He held out his hand to help the irken stand back up, which Zim accepted.

“Is it an instinct thing?” He questioned as they walked.

“Yeah, I think.” Dib nodded. “It feels like it.”

“Did you really need me to come with you?” Zim did his very best to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, and _not_ the way Dib’s hair spikes wouldn’t stop twitching. He wanted to touch them. He wanted to rub his antennae against them and get that sweet, addicting smell all over himself.

 _Oh no._ The scent was back.

“Yes.” Dib stared straight ahead, walking a bit faster. “I did.” Zim followed after him, little boots clicking on the sidewalk.

“What do you need Zim for?” He felt his cheeks warm, a thousand different scenarios playing in his head. Dib didn’t answer, instead he readjusted the bag slung over his shoulder and pressed onward. Zim gulped, pressing a hand on top of his wig to keep it from falling off. His antennae were having a party under there, ecstatic to be bathed in Dib’s pheromones again. He grit his teeth.

This was bad.

 _But so good!_ A little voice in his head argued.

xxx

They were walking up to Zim’s front door now. Well, walking wasn’t really the best way to put it. It was more like Dib was sprinting past the gnomes with Zim panting at his heels. Dib shoved through the door and immediately threw off his coat, peeling his turtle neck off and tossing it aside too. His feathers were puffed up, making the hybrid look bigger than he really was. He fell dramatically onto the couch and brought his long legs to his chest, curling up. Zim stood in the middle of the living room awkwardly, unsure of what he was supposed to be doing. Why had Dib brought him here? He took a few nervous steps towards the boy, taking out his contacts and hiding them away in his PAK. He was reluctant to take off his wig, knowing that if he did so then Dib’s smell might overwhelm him.

“I just wanted you near me.” Dib finally said, although his voice was muffled on account of his face being pressed into a pillow. “Couldn’t leave you by yourself.”

“I was not by myself. I was surrounded by our peers.”

“That’s the problem.” He grumbled, turning his head to the side to stare at Zim. His glasses were askew, lopsided and falling off his nose. The smell only got stronger.

“Are you doing that on purpose?!” Zim blurted out. His knees felt weak, like they might buckle under him. In such a confined space, Dib’s smell was clogging up the alien’s senses. He wanted so desperately to join the hybrid on the couch, but he stood several feet from him, still as a statue.

“What?” Dib sat up and cocked his head.

“You were doing it at lunch, too! I don’t…Zim doesn’t—“ The irken stamped his foot in frustration. “AUGH! Stop making this difficult for Zim!”

“I’m not doing anything!” Refuted the other boy. Was that true? Did Dib really not know he was doing it? Zim charged him, ripping off his wig and pressing his face into his chest. His downy fluff tickled, but it was soft, and so warm. His antennae danced along Dib’s jaw, taking in his scent.

“You _are!_ ” Zim insisted. “ _Ahh_ — you are…” He whined, bumping the space between his antennae under Dib’s chin. Just like in the courtyard, big hands came to grip his shoulders, and Zim keened, kneeding his claws into the taller boy’s chest fluff.

“Z-Zim.” Dib said lowly. The alien felt him try to push him away again, but he wasn’t having it. He held onto Dib’s feathers so that he could not be moved. “What are you doing?” Zim rose and fell with Dib’s chest, loving the way he could feel the vibrations of his voice pressed against his throat like this.

“Mm, Dib-creature. Zim wants it.” He purred, nibbling affectionately on the skin that stretched across the Dib’s windpipe. He heard his breath hitch, and the hands on him tightened. “Zim knows the Dib wants it, too…”

“I don’t—“ Dib gulped. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Get off of me.” His voice was husky but his words were laced with venom. “Now.” Zim leaned back, taking in his expression. His dilated eyes were narrowed, his face was flushed, and while his lips were parted they were also pulled into a frown.

He didn’t look…happy. Maybe aroused, but not happy.

The irken shrank back, realizing he’d lost control of himself for a moment there. He let go of Dib’s feathers with a whimper and moved to place his booted feet back on the floor. Dib did not let him. He held the alien in place with his hands, even though just a moment ago he was trying to push him away. He looked deeply displeased, his expression shifting into a scowl.

“Dib-friend…” Zim placed his hands over Dib’s, unsure. The alien had a feeling he had definitely crossed a line. No, he was _certain_ he’d crossed a line. Zim rarely ever initiated physical contact with Dib. It was always the other way around. “I cannot get off if you are to continue holding me.”

“Friend? Friends don’t act like this.” Dib growled, and his haphazard glasses finally fell from his face. “What’s your problem? Huh?” His nails cut through the invaders tunic to dig into his skin, causing Zim to wince.

“I-I…” The air had shifted. That lovely smell was still flooding Zim’s senses, but even hopped up on pheromones the alien could tell that Dib’s body language screamed hostility. One of his hands left his shoulder to grab his waist. Zim was so tiny his fingers could wrap more than halfway around him. A bug-like clicking sound left the hybrid’s throat, sharp and slow. “I have a theory.” Zim squeaked, hating how weak he sounded. He wanted to tilt his head back and show Dib his throat, wanted him to bite him, mark him.

“Do you now?” Dib leaned his head down, pressing his forehead to the top of Zim’s skull. Zim melted against him when his hair spikes brushed against his antennae. Like an irken, Dib must release his pheromones from them, because the scent was overwhelming. The stalks on the alien’s head trembled, and he wondered if it was possible for him to do what Dib was doing, what pre-control brain irkens did. He wanted to. He wanted Dib to smell how much he wanted him.

“You are expelling pheromones, Dib-friend…” Zim said, not without difficulty. His brain felt like it was full of honey. “Zim thinks — nng — that it is because of your DNA, and the change of season.” He twined one of his antennae around one of Dib’s spikes with a whimper. He didn’t want Dib to be angry, he wanted him to feel good. “And because you wish to breed Zim.”

The hands previously holding the invader in place shoved him none too gently to the floor. Zim blinked his eyes open and looked hazily up at Dib.

“You don’t want me.” Dib stood, towering over the irken. He curled his lip in disgust and spread out his wings, his feathers still puffed up intimidatingly. “Pheromones? That’s why you’re acting like this?” Zim sat up on his knees, digging his claws into them.

“Please do not push Zim away!” The alien begged, then bowed his head in shame, biting his tongue to prevent more pleas from spilling out of his mouth.

“I don’t want you.” Dib spat, beating his wings a few times. “I especially don’t want to _breed_ you, so figure out another theory!” He stomped past Zim’s cowering form and into the recently installed elevator, disappearing into the base below.

Zim sat there on the floor of his living room for eight minutes and thirty-three seconds. With Dib’s exit his scent had left with him, but the alien felt no better. His face still burned, his breath continued to come out in pants, and the space between his legs _throbbed._ He brought a hand down and pressed against his leggings, shuddering at the pleasant pressure. He leaned forward until his face pressed against the floor, his ass in the air, and pushed with his fingers again.

 _“Aah!”_ He cried, tears pricking at his eyes. What had come over him? Why did he want to be touched so bad? Why did he want to cry? He pressed down again, legs trembling. “ _Stupid human!”_ He wailed, doing it again, and again. _“Zim doesn’t want you either!”_ Tears dripped down his cheeks and onto the floor. It was no use. With every touch Zim gave himself, it only made the feeling worse. He collapsed onto his side and curled up like a smeet inside its cloning vat. After a moment he heard the front door open and he perked up, wiping his eyes with the backs of his gloved hands.

“Hiya, Master!” GIR grinned, pulling off the hood of his dog costume. He had a greasy paper bag in his hands that smelled revoltingly like the robot’s beloved tacos. The door clicked shut and he trotted over to the alien curiously. “Whys you on the floor?” Zim stood up in a hurry and cleared his throat.

“N-no reason, GIR.” He answered, glancing at the elevator Dib had vanished into. “I need to conduct some important research, so don’t come bothering me.” He left GIR standing there, ignoring his question of where Dib was, and entered the elevator. Dib was probably blowing off steam in the transmissions room, so Zim would steer clear of the fifth floor. He pressed the button that said seven and waited to arrive at his destination.

He was embarrassed and ashamed of his behavior. The feelings he had for his truce-friend were becoming a burden. A deep, secret part of Zim knew the truth. That he was deeply infatuated with Dib, and that he had been since _before_ his accident. He hugged his arms around his small frame. How unbecoming of an irken invader, to fall for such a lowly creature. And he had _upset_ the Dib! Because Dib did not want him back. Because Dib did not feel the same way. The elevator door slid open and Zim stepped out into his lab — or one of them, at least. It was dark, but the irken didn’t bother turning on the lights. His ocular implants allowed him to see just fine. He flopped down into the chair that faced one of the large screens on the wall and took a deep breath.

“Computer, look up moth mating practices on the internet.” He ordered half-heartedly.

“Yes, sir. Searching…” The computer chimed, and the screen on the wall turned on, lighting up the room, and began to display information as per Zim’s request. “Are you alright, sir?” It asked, and Zim groaned.

“I did not program you to ask personal questions!” The irken barked, eyes scanning over the words and pictures on screen.

“Fine. Geez.” Muttered the computer. It was true, moths did attract mates with pheromones, and most of them normally did it during the spring. Different species of moths did different things to breed, but there were some practices that seemed consistent throughout most of them. Taking away from what he read, Zim came to the conclusion that Dib probably _didn’t_ realize he was secreting pheromones, which only made him feel worse. After he was satisfied with what he’d learned, he ordered the computer to look up owl mating practices. His spooch did a little somersault. Owls seemed like aggressive creatures, even when it came to mating. Maybe even especially when it came to mating. The males would often fight each other over the females and for territory, he read. They were very territorial creatures, it seemed. Could that be why Dib wanted to come back to the base so bad? Did he consider this his territory since he lived here? He read that male owls weren’t very tolerant of other males. Maybe that was why Dib seemed so hostile today. Zim _was_ a male, even if that didn’t mean the same thing to humans as it did an irken. It appeared that the male owls would initiate a mating call to lure females to their territory. Dib hadn’t done anything like that. If anything he was even quieter. After the female arrived, the male would try to court her and get her consent to mate. It was a lot different from the way moths did it, who didn’t seem to care much for taking their time. Once the female gave in to the male, they would spend days mating. Zim licked his lips. Days? _Days?!_

Zim moaned and ground down against the chair. The idea of Dib taking him for _days_ clogged up his head. Would he be rough with him? Would he mark up his neck with his teeth? Would he pin him down and make him submit? Would he shove his breeding rod inside of him and fill him up with his seed over and over again? The alien chirped in surprise at his own fantasy, a hand coming down to brush against his intimates. He could feel the wetness through his leggings, but he didn’t press down this time. _No!_ He yelled at himself inside his mind. _Dib rejected you!_ Zim could feel his eyes start to burn again. How stupid he was, wanting to cry like a smeet over such a thing. Irkens didn’t mate! They didn’t breed or form intimate partnerships! They didn’t crave relationships, or a warm body to hold them, or — or anything! Zim whined and rested his cheek on the control panel in front of him. How ridiculous. How pathetic. More tears fell, pooling onto the metal surface.

“Sir…?” The computer’s voice echoed around the room.

“Power off, computer.” Zim grunted with a wave of his hand. The screen flickered to black, and Zim was enveloped in darkness once more, the only source of light being the soft pink glow of his PAK. He repeated Dib’s words of rejection in his mind again and again, because that was better than focusing on the unbearable throbbing between his legs. Because he deserved to feel the sharp phantom pain in his chest that the memory caused. _I don’t want you._ Dib had said. _I don’t want you, I don’t want you, I don’t want you._ “No one wants me.” Zim whispered. “No one wants Zim.” His shoulders shook with his despair, and it wasn’t just Dib’s voice in his head anymore. _Stop calling, Zim! We won’t take you back no matter what you do! We don’t want you!_ The alien choked back a sob. Not good enough to be respected by his Tallest, not good enough to be loved by his human. Not good enough. Broken. “D-defective.” His breath caught in his throat. “No.” He took it back instantly. “Zim is _not_ defective.” He balled up his fists in his lap and clenched them so hard he felt his claws threaten to pierce through the tough fabric of his gloves. “Zim…Zim is _not_ …” He turned his face so that his mouth and eyelids pressed against the cold metal of the control panel. “Mmph.” He made soft clicking sounds in the back of his throat. Sad sounds. What a _sad_ irken he was.

Something soft brushed against him on all sides, enveloping him in what was undeniably the body heat of another creature. Zim tensed, head lifting halfway from the surface it rested on. Dib’s hands gripped the back of his chair, wings wrapped around both him and Zim. The alien laid his head back down. Stupid Dib and his stupid, stupid accident. Stupid Zim and his stupid, stupid feelings. The other boy said nothing, only standing there. He didn’t smell, and Zim was too upset now to want to do anything with him. The desperation was gone, leaving an empty pit in the invader’s core.

Normally Zim would tell Dib off. He’d remind him that he was _not —_ in fact — an actual mothman, and that this behavior was unacceptable. Now though? Zim was just glad Dib didn’t seem upset at him anymore.

“I’m sorry.” Zim murmured. Dib sighed and flattened a palm against his PAK. “I have—I have a new theory.” He swallowed. “It is spring, so most likely you are releasing pheromones because of that by itself. Not because of… Not because of Zim.” How silly he had been to think it was because of him. Why was that the conclusion he had jumped to? Because that’s how irkens worked? Silly. Dib was not an irken. Dib was…Dib was an _alien_ to Zim, just as Zim was an alien to Dib.

“Am I doing it right now?” He asked, voice unreadable.

“No.” Zim answered.

“Oh… I’m sorry, too.” Dib said, and Zim felt like crying again. Dib hadn’t done anything wrong! This was all the irken’s fault.

“When did you come in here?” He questioned.

“Only a few minutes ago… Y-you are wanted, Zim.” The hybrid said gently. Zim sat up again and leaned back in his chair, Dib adjusting his wings with the change and wrapping them around him tighter. The invader tilted his head back to gaze up at Dib’s eyes. His pupils were still big and round, and Zim found himself missing the old amber color of his irises. The red was pretty, but brown suited him better.

“Nobody wants me.” Zim told him. “Not my Tallest, not my planet…not _you._ ” He hung his head, antennae drooping. “If—if you hadn’t been turned into _this_ you wouldn’t even be touching Zim right now. You would not…you would not be kind to Zim.”

“Spaceboy… That isn’t true.” Dib paused, shifting around behind him. “Well, _maybe_ the second part _._ ” He admitted. “But only because we were enemies before! We were supposed to hate each other.” He brought his wings back against his spine and spun Zim’s chair around to face him. “But things can change. They have changed. _I_ want you around, so don’t feel like nobody does. I’m really glad we’re friends.” Zim bit his lip, applying enough pressure to break the skin. Even if Dib wanted him around, wanted his companionship, it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. Not as long as this deep longing persisted. When had it gotten so bad? When had his feelings gotten so out of control? He should have been keeping them in check, but instead he had let them fester and mutate. His spooch flipped, and the alien felt sick. Dib’s hands were holding both arms of the chair, trapping Zim against it.

“I appreciate the sentiment.” Said the alien. “Truly.” Dib’s face fell, and his hair spikes pulled back against his head.

“But…?” He pressed, body tensing.

“But Zim would like to be alone right now.” In an instant, the hybrid had fled without a word, without a sound. He was there, and then he wasn’t. A single black feather drifted down into Zim’s lap, and the alien picked it up gently between his fingers. Dib was so…so _expressive._

How cruel. How unfair.

How human.

xxx

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t worry, Zim! Dib just isn’t horny enough yet. He’ll come around. ;)
> 
> Okay, okay. So I originally planned for this to be a plot what plot oneshot. CLEARLY that didn’t happen, but I hope this is just as good. They bang next chapter, so stay tuned.


End file.
